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Successful Treatment of a Resistance Trigeminal Neuralgia Patient By Acupuncture

Posted , 7 users are following.

mark44210
mark44210

Dear fellow TN sufferers, 

I had TN for 3 years. Went through MRI, medications and the full works. I had to stay home and cancel work meetings when it flared up.

Encouraged by my friends in NZ and US who tried it (on unrelated illnesses), I tried acupuncture and it worked! It may take more than 10 sessions but worth it.

If there are others who have had positive experiences from acupuncture, please do share. 

All my best,

Mark

Published article on "Successful Treatment of a Resistance Trigeminal Neuralgia Patient By Acupuncture":

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2797593

0 likes, 24 replies

24 Replies

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  • BobSmith101
    BobSmith101 mark44210

    Posted

    I had a trapped infection in my left ethmoid sinus for 45 years.  The infection flared up about 100 times over these 45 years.  The infection crushed my trigeminal nerve and caused significant pain and partial paralysis on the left side of my face.

    About 40 acupuncture treatments has brought significant relief.  The left side facial paralysis has been dramatically reduced.  The facial pain has gone from debilitating to an annoyance.

    Anyone with trigeminal nerve problems should seriously consider acupuncture treatment.  There are little to no risks.  The treatments are nearly pain free.  Costs are not prohibitive.  (I had treatment at an acupuncture school at discount rates.)  There were noticeable signs of improvement, even after the first treatment. 

  • denise25722
    denise25722 mark44210

    Posted

    I’d like to know if there are others who have had success with accupuncture. I’m considering giving it s try. 
    • BobSmith101
      BobSmith101 denise25722

      Posted

      Google "trigeminal nerve and acupuncture" and you will find plenty of info.

      Acupuncture is highly effective for nerve problems.  With little to no risk, and low cost, it is worth a try.

       

  • Atlantan
    Atlantan mark44210

    Posted

    Mark,

    I'm glad to hear that acupuncture was effective on you.  I've had two treatments of acupuncture for facial nerve pain with no response.  No needles have been used on the face yet.  I'm willing to try a few more and hoping it can provide relief.

    Did your treatments involve needles on the face or a complementary part of the body?

    Thanks.

     

    • mark44210
      mark44210 Atlantan

      Posted

      Hi Atlantan,

      Good to know you have taken the initiative to try acupunture! Please do be patient. Mine went away after the 5th/6th session. As long as your physician is licensed and has experience with TN, you should trust him/her. By the time I visited the clinic, my pain intensity was at level 9 (l kept rubbing my face to compensate for the pain) so my tcm doctor did not insert needles onto my head/face (hand/body only). Needles were only inserted at the 4th session or so after I have calmed down. The good news is, needles are only inserted at the skin level and there is little or no risk. As with most western/eastern trained doctor (GP, surgeons, dentists, endocrinologists etc), not all are equal and the ones with many years of experience are usually a better bet. Do keep us posted! Be strong and we will pray for your speedy recovery.

      God bless.

    • stella-z
      stella-z mark44210

      Posted

      Hi Mark44210,

      Where in Canada are you? I still have this pain going on (still waiting on an MRI and a second visit to a neurologist; I had a clear CT scan). It's been 5 months now with this pain that seems to align with Type 2 of both Glossopharyngeal and Trigeminal and I am increasingly distressed about it. I would like to try acupuncture, although I don't know how to begin to look for one in Toronto who knows about these neuralgias. Are you able to say who your acupuncture provider was, even if it's not in Toronto? Do you have any other tips?

      I'd really like to try this, despite some concerns about some people saying the acupuncture made their facial pain worse. Thanks so much for your encouraging posts.

    • mark44210
      mark44210 stella-z

      Posted

      Hi Stella,

      Vancouver.  I am not able to name the clinic as this will likely be a breach of user guidelines of this forum. If you Google “acupuncture trigeminal neuralgia toronto”, a number of clinics will show up. If you are still unable to find one, let me know.

      Hope you can get an appointment this week. Acupuncture needles are inserted only skin deep and safe. Minor discomfort (some people may not feel the needles because they are so small) for a few sessions but well worth it.

      God bless

    • BobSmith101
      BobSmith101 Atlantan

      Posted

      Yes.  I had about 40+ treatments.  Each treatment had many (16?) needles.  The majority of needles were in my face.  There were needles also in my feet and other parts of my body.  I had treatment at Bastyr University in Seattle.  They teach acupuncture.  At each treatment, I had one doctor, and two students.  They worked together for a treatment plan.  Each time the needle placement was tailored to how the nerves, in my face, felt on the day of treatment.  Every treatment had beneficial effects.  I actually looked forward to the treatments.  After about 40 treatments I had improved so much, I decided to stop.  I wanted to see how well the improvement would hold.  It has held well.  I do plan to have some more theatments.

      I am a big believer in the value of acupuncture for nerve problems.  Anyone suffering with trigeminal nerve problems should consider acupuncture. 

      Find the biggest spot of pain and point it out to the acupuncturist.  He/she should be able to zero in on the nerve nearest to where you pointed.  

       

  • stella-z
    stella-z mark44210

    Posted

    Thank you so much, Mark. I think I found a few possibilities. I'll let you know how it goes. 

    A million thanks. Have a wonderful day. 

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